Huaraz, Santa Cruz Trek, Peru
September 24-29, 2015
Our first stop on our epic adventure in South America is the country of Peru and the town of Huaraz located 8 hours north of Lima. Huaraz is known as the "other trekking" capital of Peru (second to Cusco and Machu Picchu). Since Huaraz sits at an elevation of 3,052 meters (10,000 feet) our main priority is to properly acclimatize so we spent 2 days wandering the town and gathering information from various agencies offering trekking trips. Our mission is to spend 4 days hiking the Santa Cruz Trek among the Peruvian Andes located in the Cordillera Blanca region of Huascaran National Park, a Unesco World Hertiage site.
Our Accommodations in Lima - B&B de Kike
After a long day of travel our first accommodation in Lima (Los Olivios neighbourhood) was a warm and lovely welcome to Peru! Kike and Miriam who operate B&B de Kike out of their home met us at the airport and treated us like family immediately. They were extremely helpful and kind and it was such a wonderful way to be introduced to the country. The B&B is located only 10 minutes from the airport and bus terminal in Los Olivios making it very convenient for transient travel. Otherwise Lima centre is an hours drive from the airport. Their rooms were very clean and comfortable making it a great pit stop before traveling onward.
Our Accommodations in Huaraz - Hostel Benkawasi
Hostel Benkawasi is located a 5 minute walk from the main centre of Huaraz and located in a quiet area away from the noise and congestion. The staff didn't speak English so it made things a bit difficult when trying to get information but they were extremely nice and willing to help (if we could explain what we needed in Spanish!). Rooms were basic but clean and we had a front facing room overlooking a small park.
Town of Huaraz
Santa Cruz Trek Background Information
The Santa Cruz Trek is by far the most popular trail in the region but there are numerous day hikes and multi-day hikes available throughout the area. Like most of the backcountry trails in the mountainous areas of this region, Santa Cruz Trek is an Inca trail being one of the many routes that connected the highlanders to the sea in ancient times. Located in the Cordillera Blanca the spine of the Andes closest to the coast, the trail cuts through the Santa Cruz Valley in Huascaran National Park. The park contains snow covered peaks, hanging glaciers, gushing waterfalls, aquamarine lakes and fascinating sub-tropical flora. In fact its home to 600 glaciers, nearly 300 lakes and 50 peaks over 18,700 feet (5,700 m).
Another popular option is the Huayhaush Trek which is suppose to be a spectacular journey lasting up to 12 days if you complete the entire trail (maybe next time!). Many hikes are done through agencies which organize your trip and provide the necessary supplies such as tents, sleeping bags, cooks, porters and guides. However you can also do many treks independently without guides and the town of Huaraz is a mecca of information and contains all the supplies needed to organize your own trip. For equipment rental we were recommended Active Peru or QuechuaAndes for better quality. The best sources of information can be found at the Peru visitors centre where you can get free trekking booklets or by speaking with your hostel or hotel. There are hundreds of agencies in town but after researching and speaking with others we would say three of the better quality agencies (which also means higher prices) would be Responsible Travel, QuechuaAndes, Huascaran Adventures.
Santa Cruz Trek Background Information
The Santa Cruz Trek is by far the most popular trail in the region but there are numerous day hikes and multi-day hikes available throughout the area. Like most of the backcountry trails in the mountainous areas of this region, Santa Cruz Trek is an Inca trail being one of the many routes that connected the highlanders to the sea in ancient times. Located in the Cordillera Blanca the spine of the Andes closest to the coast, the trail cuts through the Santa Cruz Valley in Huascaran National Park. The park contains snow covered peaks, hanging glaciers, gushing waterfalls, aquamarine lakes and fascinating sub-tropical flora. In fact its home to 600 glaciers, nearly 300 lakes and 50 peaks over 18,700 feet (5,700 m).
Another popular option is the Huayhaush Trek which is suppose to be a spectacular journey lasting up to 12 days if you complete the entire trail (maybe next time!). Many hikes are done through agencies which organize your trip and provide the necessary supplies such as tents, sleeping bags, cooks, porters and guides. However you can also do many treks independently without guides and the town of Huaraz is a mecca of information and contains all the supplies needed to organize your own trip. For equipment rental we were recommended Active Peru or QuechuaAndes for better quality. The best sources of information can be found at the Peru visitors centre where you can get free trekking booklets or by speaking with your hostel or hotel. There are hundreds of agencies in town but after researching and speaking with others we would say three of the better quality agencies (which also means higher prices) would be Responsible Travel, QuechuaAndes, Huascaran Adventures.
Our 4 Day Santa Cruz Adventure
Considering our budget and our limited dates to trek we booked with Andean Sky Expeditions which is an entry level range but has groups leaving almost daily. We paid 300 soles (about $125 Canadian pp) which included all gear and staff. We soon discovered that agencies combine their efforts in order to fill a good sized group so you most likely will end up trekking with people who booked with many different agencies at varying prices. In theory, the more you pay the better the services though we really enjoyed our experience!
Our Group - 13 Happy Trekkers!
We were incredibly lucky to join a wonderful group of people represented from France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Spain, US and us from Canada. We were 13 in total and we all got along immediately. We coined ourselves "the 13 happy trekkers" and we really enjoyed our time and conversation with everyone! It was a lot of fun and we made many wonderful memories!
Day 1: We get picked up at our hostel at 6am and drive 4 hours from Huaraz to the start of trailhead up a winding and steep mountain road to Vaqueria. After unloading from the van and then loading up our donkey's we set off for the first part of our trek. We walk 4 hours as our trail descends then rises in the intense heat of the day making it difficult while dealing with the altitude adjustment. We were both struggling with getting enough oxygen so we felt extremely fatigued. We pass through small remote villages and small children run out of their houses when they see us passing asking for candy and sometimes money. We continue onward eventually leaving behind all traces of civilization until we reach the official national park entrance where we pay our fee to enter. The terrain is flat and green as we push on towards our camp until we begin to ascend again which pushes us to our limits as we're dealing with a bit of altitude sickness. We're feeling ready to give up just as our campsite comes into view. We drop our bags and huddle in with our group to chat for a while as we wait for our dinner to prepared. Its chilly, we're tired and our sleeping bags are a bit on the thin side so its a tough first night and we don't get much sleep. But we say goodnight on a high note that it can only get easier from this point onward...we hope!
Day 2: We wake at 5am and its so cold! Its difficult to get out of bed but we drag ourselves out knowing the more we move the warmer we'll feel. We begin walking a steady incline to the summit of Punta Union mountain pass at an elevation of 4750 meters! The altitude continues to slow us down and our entire group is ahead of us. Our guide waits back every now again to look for us..thankfully! We chug on and just take it at our own pace and slowly make our way to the top. It rained, it hailed and it was a very tough trail but when we reach the top we're exhilarated! The scenery is amazing and its all becomes worth the effort! It takes us 4.5 hours up and 2.5 hours down to our camp. When we get in our guide makes us tea and popcorn which we're so grateful for and we soak in the views of the mountains around us while the last bits of sun are still out keeping us warm. We chat in the tent with our group as dinner is being prepared and enjoy all sorts of conversation. We go to bed right after we eat and spend the night at an elevation of 4250 meters.
Day 3: We wake at 6am and even though the last part of this trek is downhill most of the way, the 8 hours of walking will be by far our roughest day as the fatigue of poor sleep in the chilly mountain nights takes its toll. We set out across a gratefully flat meadow which is serene and so beautiful. But soon our terrain becomes difficult when we start to navigate boulders and rocks with up and down inclinations most of the way. AT some point we meet up with our group we call decide rather than staying at our intended camp for the night, we could continue to push on a few more hours to the ending point of the trek in a very small village called Cashapampa. By doing this it means having the ability to enjoy some celebratory beers we would have otherwise missed out so we decide to go for it because cold beers at this point sounds pretty awesome! We push on mostly alone and it becomes evident its getting late and we can't afford to stop for rests or it will soon be dark. It pushes us to our limits but we finally reach the ending point! We're so relieved we're done but so proud of ourselves for accomplishing this amazing journey!
Upon arriving at our last camp our group bought us some beers and arranged for the owner of the property to play his harp and play traditional Quechuan music to celebrate our 14th anniversary! We were so grateful for the wonderful gesture and generosity of our group and it made the perfect end to our amazing experience! We had a fantastic time dancing and drinking and celebrating the feat of the Santa Cruz trek!